Art of building pictures.



No. 683,302. I Patented Sept. 24, |90L J. A. LEE. f

ART OF BUILDING PICTURES.

(Application filed June 8, 1901.)

(No Model.)

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Darkflrcd Blue's? pm It. ,Browm 1 7006 (qr/messes: a a

(y W [L] l of the building of a picture. subsequent stage; Fig. 3, the final or com-' UNITED STATES v PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN gALDEN Lnnfor MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

'ART OF BUILDING PICTURES.

SPECIFICATION forming part f Letters Fatent No. 683,302, dated September 24, 1901. Application filed June a, 1901. Serial No. 62,339. Nospeclmens.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that'l, JOHN ALDEN LEE,'of Milton, in the county of Norfolk andState of Massachusetts, have invented a Built-Up Picture and a Method of Producing the Same, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, in whichc Figure 1 shows the first or preliminary stage pleted picture.

My method of producing and forming pictures consists in building up upon a base-' v2 forming the sky;

sheet by means of a multiplicity of superimposed and voverlapping sheets of paper or other suitable material of different colors,

each piece of paper being out and'formed in outline in such a fashion as to represent along at least one edge some detail of the completed picture. This utilization of one edge of a sheet of material to bring out a detail ofa completed picture is a feature of my invention and so far as I know is novel with me.

Another feature of my invention is the fact that the building of the picture is begun by laying upon the base-sheet those colors which kgreenish black; 5, bluish drab; ugh brown;'7, dark g I I in the .scheme of composition of the picture will be principal, andl cannot illustrate my meaning in this matter more clearly than by reference to the drawings accompanyingthis specification, which drawings illustrate the gradual growth or building up.o f a complete picture by superimposing and overlapping successive sheets of paper or the like.

In the'drawings, 1 represents paper of a light blue color; 2, light bud; 3* 3', dark drab; 4

3 3 represent adivisio'nal line between the upper and lower elements of the picture.

Fig. 1 represents the first step in the process of building a picture by the layingupon the basessheet A of two rectan gularsheets of 5- colored paper 1 and 2.

In Fig. 2 is shown a subsequent stage of the picture-building. The sheet 3 is first superimposed upon the sheet 2-, its lower edge being coincident for part of its length with the line 3 3, its side being coincident with'the perpendicular right side of sheet 2 and a wavy contour connecting line 3 3 with the upright Fig. 2 shows a reprod nee,

right line.

3 and its side edge being coincident with the Sheet 3 is then superimposed upon sheet 2 and sheet 3 the lower edge of sheet 3" being coincident with part of line left side edge of sheet 2 ,a wavy contour connectin g line 3 3 and the perpendicular left line.

The sheets 4 4. are next superimposed upon sheets 3, 3", and 1, and sheet 5 is finally superimposed upon sheet 1. r

In Fig. 3 the final steps are taken, sheet 7 being superimposed upon sheets 5 and 1 and sheet 6 being superimposed upon sheets 7 and 5.

The finished picture represents a landscape, 3 3", distant mountains; 4 4, nearer mountains or hills; 4 49, shadows; 1, water; 5, the foreshore; 6, the foreground, and 7 a house.

tary character so far as their details are con- .cerned, and I conceive that my method is peculiarly applicable for use in schools and for educational purposes for children, the com- 17 It will be obvious that 'mymethod contemplates only-pictures of a simple and elemenparison, contrasting, and harmonizing of colors necessary in the production or reproduction of pictures by my method atfording valuable training initself, while'the analysis of pictures requisite and necessary to select and form the sheets of paper to reproduce the various-details of a picture or a landscape is in a highdegree educational in its effect, both uponthe powers ofobservation and analysis and upon the color faculties and also in manualtraining in order to acquire the manual skill necessary to properly reproduce the neoessary outlines and in the, patience and care necessary to place the various parts in their proper order, relations, and orgamzatwn.

Furthermore, the observation necessary In dissecting a picture which it is proposed to or a landscape, for that matter, and the reduction of the picture or landscape to a comparatively few principal general outlines and details of color is stimulating and strengthening to the creative faculties, rendering it necessary for the operator to use originality and judgment, nite variety of color in nature and the very great variety of color in many pictures renders it impossible to reproduce in every detail the color scheme, and therefore makes it inasmuch as the inf i,

- necessary that in redueing' the thing to be reproduced to its simplest color expression,

the Operator should use original judgment and taste.

My method or system is also applicable in the formation of topographical maps, the various elevations being very distinctly and beautifully reproduced by sheets of different colors superimposed one upon theother to represent different heights.

The building of the picture in the way -I have shown, described, and illustrated in the;

drawings renders it necessary that only one edge of each sheet be cut carefully to the'desired outline, each superimposed sheet, as it 'were, blocking out upon the sheet beneath it preferably the various sheets as they are successively superimposed are secured by paste or the like applied at the center of the various sheets, leaving the edges free. By this means a certain solid quality appears in the picture which greatly heightens the effect of reality,

with the result that in pictures produced by my method there is a quality of scenic reality which is frequently absent from pictures produced with infinitely more labor and pains bythe ordinary. method.

I claim- 1. A picture, composed of superimposed, overlapping, differently-colored sheets-of material, the exposed edges of each sheet being shaped to form the outline of a detail of the picture, and the various details'of the picture being illustrated by the outline aforementioned and by the contrast and harmony of the various colored parts of which the picture is composed. l

2. A picture, composed of superimposed, overlapping sheets of material, secured upon a common'base, the exposed edges of each sheet being shaped to form the outline of a detail of the picture, and said exposed edges being unsecured to the adjacent sheet or base,

substantially as shown ,and described.

3. The method above described, of building a picture, consisting of superimposing overlapping sheets of dilferently-colored material, the exposed edges of each sheet being shaped to form the outline of a detail of the picture. i i

ouN ALDEN LEE.

\Vit-uesses:

0. R. MITCHELL; JOSEPH T. BRENNAN. 

